This invention relates to a door-operating mechanism. In particular, the invention is concerned with such a mechanism as applied to a door for a rotating drum in which products are processed. The processing of products in such rotatable drums usually is effected with the drum mounted on an axis inclined to the horizontal.
These drums normally have vanes or flights which can form a helical spiral on the inside wall of the drum for processing the products therein. Products processed in such drums include food pieces, in the forms of chunks of meat as is known in pending U.S. application Ser. No. 196,876, filed by Bruce Gould and assigned to the same assignee as this application; aggregate materials such as concrete, as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,175,811; or sheet materials in the form of hides, as is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,665,735. The disclosures in this application and the U.S. patents are incorporated by reference herein.
In U.S. application Ser. No. 196,876, there is disclosed a processor wherein an inclined drum includes a door for closing the mouth of the drum and through which a vacuum can be drawn in the drum. With such a vacuum, processing of the food products is enhanced. In this apparatus the door is mounted on a support structure which is part of the foundation supporting the drum. Despite the correct alignment of the drum and door when the apparatus is new, it has been found that due to wear, for instance, of the rollers on which the drum is supported or due to manufacturing tolerance characteristics, a misalignment can take place between the mouth of the drum and the door which is used to close the drum mouth.
As it is important for this closure to be tight, so as to enable a suitable vacuum to be drawn, it has been found that the operating characteristics of the drum of U.S. application Ser. No. 196,876 are not as efficient as desirable. In view of this misalignment undue stress is placed on the drum mounting mechanism, and particularly the hinge formation of the door operating mechanism which is an extended part of the structure from the foundation on which the drum rests.
In view of the above, there is a need to provide a door-operating mechanism wherein a moveable container and the door to the mouth of the container are permitted to be aligned so as to minimize the misalignment due to wear or otherwise normal manufacturing tolerances, and prevent deterioration of the hinged support mounting for the door, and other deleterious effect on the support means of the door operating mechanism. There is also a need to provide means for adjusting the relative position of the door with the drum, preferably in a facile manner, so that effective sealing of the door with the drum mouth can be achieved.